March
21, 2016 has come and gone, but it is a day the President of the United Church
of Christ in Nigeria, Rev. Emmanuel Dziggau, will not forget in a hurry. He was
kidnapped alongside two other clergy men along Kaduna-Abuja Express Way.
And
unfortunately, one of them, Rev.Iliya Anto, did not live to tell the story of
their abduction and ordeal in the kidnappers’ den.
Members
of the Taraya Ekklesiyoyin Kristi A Nigeria (Fellowship of Churches of Christ
in Nigeria, TEKAN), were thrown into confusion following the abduction of their
President and other clergymen. Dziggau is also the president of Haddiyar
Ekklesiya Kristi A Nigeria (United Church of Christ in Nigeria) and the
TEKAN/ECWA bloc leader in the Christian Association of Nigeria.
The
Reverend was kidnapped along with his deputy, Rev. Illiya Anto, and a retired
reverend in the church, Yakubu Dzarma. They were at the church crusade ground
along the Kaduna-Abuja highway on that fateful day to clear the proposed
permanent site for the HEKAN Theological Seminary.
Suddenly,
masked gunmen, numbering about 10, stormed the crusade ground and picked the
three men, while other church members fled.
The
General Secretary of the church and one of the eyewitnesses, Rev Jibrailu
Wobiya, who escaped the abduction said, the abductors came in a car and parked
by the roadside, with their driver inside the car, while others dropped,
brandishing guns and other dangerous weapons.
“They
came down; having suspected them, we ran, but they caught up with The
President, Reverend Anto and Reverend Yakubu Dzarma. I was scared by the way
and manner they dragged them, especially Rev Anto, who was ill”.
Meanwhile,
the President, Reverend Emmanuel Dziggau and Rev. Yakubu Dzarma regained
freedom on Wednesday night, but for Rev Anto, his already decomposing body was
found in the bush.
A
top official of the United Church of Christ, who pleaded anonymity, said on
Thursday that Dziggau and Dzarma were freed on Wednesday in the night,
while the corpse of Rev. Anto was found, almost decomposing in the bush.
But,
unlike the Army Colonel Samaila Inusa, who was abducted and subsequently
killed, Reverend Anto died in the bush where he was abandoned by the kidnappers
following his health condition.
A
reliable source from the Kaduna HEKAN Church told The Nation that, a day after
the their abduction, their abductors had called to inform that Anto was not
well and they had dropped him at a location in the bush. He equally disclosed
that Reverend Anto was discharged from the hospital penultimate Thursday, and
only managed to follow them to the church site where they were abducted on
Monday.
According
to him, “On Tuesday, the abductors contacted the church leadership that they
had dropped Rev. Anto in the bush, because they discovered he was not feeling
fine. So, they said we should come and pick him, with a strong warning that
only three persons should come for him.
“But
when we dispatched people to the location to carry him, they couldn’t get him
after combing the area. The kidnappers, who might have been watching from their
hideout, said we sent too many people to pick. So, they refused to give further
description of the location and we thought they must have gone with him.
“When
they couldn’t find him, they called them again and the kidnappers gave the
description of the car they came with, the number of policemen in the team and
the number of SSS. So, they (kidnapers) said the people sent to pick up the
pastor were too many and they stopped giving description,” he said.
It
was gathered that the late Reverend was abandoned in the bush because he
couldn’t withstand the rigour of the excessive trekking they were subjected to.
The
source said: “The freed church
FOR MORE STORIES VISIT CKN NEWS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS:
Email:cknnews1@gmail.com
Twitter: @CKNNigeria
Facebook: CKNNigeria
CKN NEWS Hotline: 08080054001
Whatsapp: 08099677755
BBM : 2BE329DF
Website: www.cknnigeria.com
Tags
Society